Date:07/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/07/stories/2008100753480300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Waste to wealth, the way forward

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Turning waste to wealth by even using daily waste to generate electricity: sounds utopian? Several experts and environmentalists who spoke at the seminar on “Wealth out of Waste”, organised by ITC Limited here on Monday, would beg to differ.

“It is not at all a philosophical or ideological dream. Entrepreneurs should come up, replicate and take forward the models which have been executed where waste and refuse is being used to generate electricity,” said Ken Gnanakan, environmentalist and academic, who has worked with several waste management products.

Prof. Gnanakan was addressing principals and decision-makers at various educational institutions. The seminar aimed at increasing awareness levels on waste management within schools.

“I believe that when children speak, adults listen. That is why it is important to educate them about this issue,”

Dr. Gnanakan said. Today, human excreta is being dumped in lakes all over the city. If this could be collected instead, and used to generate electricity, these nightmares of the city could be solved,” he said.

Speaking about ITC’s initiatives in the country, Joga Rao, who heads Supply Chain Management at ITC PSPD, said that if “we do not get our basics right we cannot dream of going ahead.